Love, War and the Peace Inbetween
by CrazyMich
Summary: Count Dooku has captured a young dancer with the extraordinary ability to manipulate and take on the emotions of others. He plans to use her in the war he and his Sith Master are constructing.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Star Wars. If I did, Luke would have saved the day in Episode VII

Chapter 1:

The theater hummed with the energy of anticipation. Antares San could feel it in her chest. She drank it in, letting it energize her. This was an important performance. Not only were the scouts for the Galactic Dance Troupe but Serenno's own Count Dooku was to be at the performance. Everyone was hoping to impress, to catch an eye, to become important.

Antares tried to think of it as only another performance. She'd seen more than one professional crack under the pressure. She couldn't afford to do that. Fingering the locket at her neck, she bit at her lip as she remembered that she had her mother and brothers to provide for, that her life was no longer her own.

With a shake of her head, she eased the sudden cramp in her neck, shaking out all of her limbs. She then began running through a serious of stretches, each movement familiar and burned into the memory of her muscles. The ritual felt good, safe. It dispelled any sadness that the locket brought. Inside one leaf of the precious metal was a holo of her father. On the other side, a family photo.

Limbered, she was ready to get on stage.

"Here you are, Lady San," a small Calamarian girl came running up to her with the gravity pearls. She held them up as though she were bestowing an award to Antares.

"Thank you, Lannala," she said, taking the carved box that held the pearls. The girl was an intern for the Serenno Troupe. She'd come from Mon Calamari, a student studying with the troupe. Antares had done the same in Alderaan when she'd been her age. It seemed only a short time ago, that she'd been presenting the jewels to the prima donna. Now she was the star of the show.

She leaned down and kissed the girl on her cheek. The girl laughed and skipped off to get ready. Antares pulled the pearls out of the box and pressed the activator. She closed her eyes, breathing steadily to keep from squirming as they roved over her body to affix to the receptors in her costume. When they were finished she blew out a sigh of relief.

Arms snaked around her midsection, causing her to jump a little. "Anxious aren't we?" A kiss fell on her cheek. "You're going to be beautiful. Don't worry so much."

Turning in his arms, Antares looked at Endrex Kyln. "Aren't you supposed to be in the audience?"

"Special friend privileges," he said with a small smile. "Larego let me in."

"I'm going to have to talk to him about letting strange men backstage."

He was rather boyishly handsome, her special friend. Piercing blue eyes, brown wavy hair, a cheeky smile that made Antares melt in all the right places. He was beaming that smile at her right now. "It's just my luck that you're fond of strange men."

"I'm supposed to be on stage in a few minutes," she said. "No matter how fond of you I am, you have to go."

She pushed him away with a snort. Embracing the drama of the stage, Endrex put a hand to his heart as though wounded. "She is beauty and light. Yet, she can strike like a serpent."

"Begone miscreant," she replied, laughing.

He rushed forward, kissing her desperately. For a moment, she was overwhelmed with the scent of him, the feel of his lips. Abruptly, he pulled away leaving her breathless. "Blow their minds, beautiful."

She pretended to grab the kiss that he blew her way before disappearing. She shook her head and blew out a long breath, clearing her head. She went to a mirror, looking to make sure nothing had been disturbed in her kiss with Endrex. Her dark hair had been pulled back into an intricate updo, threads of reflective material had been wove through the strands. Matching her hair, her bodysuit was a mixture of dark and light, an exploding supernova.

This was the last time the 'Dance of Stars' was going to be performed. An antigrav dance that relied upon the opalescent pearls now affixed to her costume. She preferred being on solid ground, but she couldn't deny the beauty of weightlessness. Floating as though she were a star in the vast expanse of space.

"Lady San, your place, please," Fandra said, holding out a hand. Antares took it, walking onto the platform. From the stage area above, she could hear the sound of the audience clapping as they announced the performance was ready to begin.

She clasped her locket, though about her family for a brief moment before letting them go once more. Now. Now was the time to be a star.

With a deep breath, she gave the nod that signaled the antigrav leap. She twined her arms above her head. There was the whir of the magnetic field and in a breath she was up in through the axis hole and hovering in the middle of the air space, the audience encircling her. She spun faster than humanly possible, a star rotating on its axis.

She felt the loneliness of a such a creature, the fire and the heat, the distant cold of space. She reached out to her audience, yearning them to feel it with her. The connection of an artist and pallets of light and shadow she painted with.

[hr][/hr]

Count Dooku chaffed at the necessity of such an appearance. The head of his house staff had informed him – had nearly ordered him – that attending such a performance would be good for his image with the people of Serenno. Since leaving the Jedi and reclaiming his birthright seven years ago, he had remained an enigmatic figure.

According to the plan of his Master, he'd begun to voice his displeasure with the Republic. He needed the people to trust him, to go through with the plan. The House of Dooku was a long venerable one. He'd played on that legacy for far too long. Now was the time to be a visible figurehead.

He'd wished it could have been under a difference venue. Politics, diplomacy, feigned as it may have been, would have been his chosen field. Instead, he'd agreed to this art. The media outlets had been going crazy. The returned son. The Jedi who'd returned to bring Serenno back to its height of civility. Apparently, since his parents' death, the cousin that had taken his place as ruling head, had been well-meaning but ultimately foolish. Trade had gone down, crime had risen, and the regional Earls had been so desperate that they had welcomed Cristoff Dooku back with open arms.

He sat with the earls now, shaking hands and smiling with the business men and women who had been invited. He'd made a special invitation to Wat Tambor of the Techno Union, Nute Gunray and Rune Haako of the Trade Federation and San Hill of the Intergalactic Banking Clan. Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild had sent her regrets but had thanked him and would be willing to meet with him at another time.

With a good portion of the galaxy rich at the performance, the famous had come out in droves. The combination of the two had all the holo-stations out in droves. Dooku had lost count of the hovercams that had crossed his path. He'd been half tempted to destroy them with a wave of his hand. But he wasn't an initiate, he was a Master of both the light and the dark.

A bell struck in a rhythmic triplet as the announcer called all the patrons to their seats. Dooku took his seat, prepared to meditate through the entire performance. He clapped alongside everyone else as the lights dimmed. He was just beginning to start his breathing exercises when the first dancer appeared. She appeared in a burst of light, springing like a gem suspended in air. Instantly, he felt a connection to the girl, an instant link he hadn't felt with anyone else save for a Jedi or his own current Dark Master.

He found himself holding his breath as she turned her spin to the side, her body beginning to spin on an angle, her limbs made it look as though she'd turned into the points of a star. Something flitted by, other dancers, floating past like small moons, planets, as the star made its way throughout a galaxy, never holding in one place.

Dooku's eyes narrowed as the girl started to slow, her body condensing down into a ball. The momentum slowed and slowed until it stopped. Once she was still, the girl stretched, like she was flower just starting to bloom. The former Jedi felt as though he was awakening for the first time. Her movements were elegant, glorious even, but Dooku was more than enchanted, he was mesmerized.

With pointed toes, she began to walk across the still air, now catching up to the other celestial bodies that she'd previously zoomed past. The moons gathered around her, frolicking in childish delight. She mimicked their childish joy until they moved on, caught in a grasp of another star system.

Dooku could almost feel her tears as his own as they departed. The sorrow was a weight on his chest as she made her continued walk. This time, a group of planets, this time the joy was different, a dangerous edge, as they spun in an erratic pattern around her. Power engulfed Dooku. A sense of control as the danger began to arrange the planets to her liking.

The Sith apprentice drank that feeling in, looked at all the patrons as they felt as he felt. As the dancer became the center of a solar system, so did everyone in the theater. Soon, the star released them, the planets taking their own course one by one.

Again there was the sadness, the aching need.

Dooku watched as sentient being all began to draw their eyes. He nearly jerked in surprise as he felt wetness begin to trace down his own cheek. His mouth open in awe, he reached a wondering hand up to wipe at the droplet.

If he could be affected, a trained Jedi and now a Sith apprentice, what else could this girl do?

She walked alone again, until she was caught by another star. This one a male dancer. The dance became something else together, sensual. The movements were not separate, but intertwined. They became caught in one another's gravity, a binary system.

Now there was the sense of completion as two equal and complementary forces spun in tandem together. When she leaped further into the air, he was with her, as he pirouetted, she was with him move for move. As a Jedi he had never known love and as a Sith there was only passion. Dooku could only think of his apprentices, even his own Master, Yoda. The times where they had moved in perfect unison, two bodies moving as one in a single purpose.

He felt as the rest of the audience did as a shadow began to encroach on them. It was a darkness, a maw that began to swallow all that came into its path. The lights that the crew had been bouncing around the set, that represented the far of star systems around the girl, began to swirl and become lost to the darkness. It caught the girl in its grasp. She began to darken. The male binary star pulled at her, taking her place in the darkness.

Over and over again, they fought to protect each other from the darkness until they became less and less. There was only one option. He felt her heartbreak. The other dancers may have been novices, fumbling newborns next to her brilliance. They separated, their bond torn apart, spinning away from each other and the darkness that had sough to destroy them.

They ended on opposite ends of the theater, alone, just glowing embers compared to the brightness they'd once embodied. Separated and alone, it felt as though all was lost. Until they saw it, a piece of energy that had managed to splinter from the blackhole. It was a little star, a child now representing that glimmer of hope. The two separated stars that had once danced together began to spin again, returning to their solitary life. Each now content that their sacrifice had created that brilliant child.

The light darkened until the three were the lights left. And then the male dancer lost his light. Both the child and the girl lamented his loss, in a sudden dive that left the audience gasping. The girl slowly dimmed only leaving the child behind. A child who was now the hope for the universe. The darkness dissipated by his light.

And then the entire theater was lost as it went dark for a a breath before the house lights turned one. All the dancers were gone. The spherical stage empty. As one the audience rose to its feet, cheering and clapping. The sound threatened to bring the entire theater down. Slowly, deliberately, Dooku rose to his feet. Emotionally shaken, his mind was still alert and avid. He began to make a plot. A plan that his Master need never know.

[hr][/hr]

"Do you hear that crowd?" Larego crowed, picking up Antares. He spun her around in manic glee. "Oh, I hate to think what this means. But do you know what this means. The Galactic Dance Troupe is sure to snatch you up. I'll have to find a new lead."

She joined his laughter through her tears. It was always such an emotional dance. "Maybe they'll want to hire you as their choreographer."

"With you and Inseil making my movement transcend art, I have little doubts." The Twi'lek looked across the way to Antares partner. He was dressed in a similar fashion to Antares, his hair was slicked back and threaded with the silver strands as her own was. She rushed over to him as Larego set her down and was lifted into the air a second time.

Antares was nearly dizzy as she was passed from each of the troupe members. She was feeling pretty euphoric herself and didn't mind the emphatic treatment. There joy was quickly doubling her own.

Abruptly, Endrex was in front of her, his arms around her. "Beautiful. There's just not words. I'm going to have to make sure I can do business while we travel through spacelanes."

Giving him a quick kiss, she cupped her cheek. "Nothing's decided yet," she said, but she was smiling.

He turned her around and the breath caught in her chest as she saw the scouts Fandra had pointed out to her earlier. "Oh, yeah," Endrex taunted jovially. "Then why are they pointing at you and talking with Larego. Go on, lovey. Make them pay through the nose." He kissed her hair. "I'll drop by your mother's, tell her the good news. Meet me at the house after you're done. We'll celebrate. Alderaanian red, I take it."

She agreed while he kissed her hand goodbye. Putting a hand to her chest, she fought to keep her calm. This was everything she'd ever dreamed of, everything she'd trained for. She knew Endrex wanted her to milk them for all the money she could, but she knew she'd agree to whatever they offered first. She wouldn't be able to stop herself. How could you not when a dream was coming to fruition.

[hr][/hr]

It was now quiet in her dressing room. Most of the troupe had gone off for the after party. She now had her contract. A datacard with the details was sitting on vanity. A smile was stuck on her face, a permanent grin she didn't think had waned since she'd landed back on her magnetic pad.

She'd changed, the grav pearls were back in their box and her face was washed, the silver threads removed from her dark hair. She was dressed in a simple unisuit that she was looking forward to having Endrex remove. Her green eyes fell on the datacard once more, the small deepening. Maybe now, they could be bound to one another. Maybe now, she was ready to let the extra money take care of her mother and brothers and she could start her life with Endrex. He'd waited long enough.

She jumped when there was a knock on her door. Rolling her eyes at her lapse in her concentration, she called, "It's open."

The door rushed open with a whoosh of air. In the mirror she caught the regal stature of Count Dooku himself. Startled, she spun around, trying to curtsy at the same time. "My Lord," she stuttered. "I didn't know you were coming."

"My apologies for startling you, my dear. I just wanted to meet you in person. Your performance tonight was riveting."

"Thank you, Count Dooku," she said. "I'm glad it pleased you."

Gently, he took her hand, holding it up to his chest. "Oh yes, I am very pleased."

The smile slipped from Antares face as she felt something dark, greedy, settle into her chest. She tried to step back, but he held on fast. "Please, let go," she whispered.

"I'm afraid, that you will have to come with me, Lady San. You just gave the performance of your life. The last one anyone will ever see."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

[i]Master Cristoff Dooku woke with a start. It was dark and his head ached. There was a particular spot as he reached to the back of his head that was extremely tender and throbbed in a repeated rhythmic pattern. Belatedly, he remembered a sudden blow to the back of his head. They'd been investigating a smuggling ring that had been alluding CorSec and Republic forces. Apparently, he and Qui-Gon had stepped on too many toes.

He heard a groan behind him, turned in the dark to see if it was his apprentice. "Padawan?"

"Master?" the voice asked in slight confusion.

"Yes," Dooku said. He reached a hand out and felt his Padawan's firm shoulder. "Are you well?"

"Well enough," the seventeen-year-old said, his words ending in a painful hiss. "Where are we?"

"A cell, I imagine," the Jedi Master said. He began to pat the space in front of him, searching blindly in the dark.

"I hear an energy field," Qui-Gon pointed out. "I can feel it….and something else. Something desperate, crying out. I fear we were right, Master. They are slavers."

Dooku frowned. He'd felt the discordant energy in the Force, but he did not have Qui-Gon's empathy, his stark connection to the living Force. Too often, it was a distraction to the main goal of their missions. He'd yet to get his Padawan to accept that sometimes they could not help everyone. More often than not, sacrifices needed to be made.

It also allowed for a connection to others that was just as useful as it was detrimental. With time and training, Qui-Gon would learn to balance to two, would be an incredible Jedi. Until then, Dooku would just have to be patient. If there was one thing his old Jedi master had drilled into him, it was patience.

"Keep your senses attuned, Qui-Gon. I will try to secure our release. Let me know if you sense anyone nearby," he commanded.

Qui-Gon shifted into a sitting position, searching out a meditative state. "Yes, Master."

Dooku stood and careful picked his way in the darkness. He heard the hum of the energy filed meant to keep them in. Of course, the smugglers had taken their weapons, but a Jedi was never truly disarmed. He felt around, careful to avoid the energy field. It would not do permanent damage, but he'd like to avoid any type of incapacitation and most fields of this sort usually left you numb and half paralyzed.

Fingers questing over the smooth permecrete he found the control panel. He pulled a multitool from his belt, pried the service plate off. With a finger he felt along the edge, careful not to pull at the wires. He would have to find the power cell and cut the cable without signaling the redundant security overlay. He pulled back rubbed his forehead.

"Master someone is coming," Qui-Gon informed him.

Reaching out to the Force, he felt for its will, made his known. Take a deep breath, he let the Force guide his hand a pulled one of the wires. He froze, holding his breath. The energy field cycle off and didn't return.

"Let us leave their hospitality Padawan," Dooku said. "Which way are they coming from?"

"To the left, Master," Qui-Gon answered, now at his side. "Should we make introductions."

"It would be rude not to," Dooku returned. "Take care of it would you, Padawan?"

"Yes, Master," Qui-Gon said.

There was light in that direction. It was dim, hovering over what looked like a bank of security monitors. "They have dark vidcams, Padawan," he informed.

He sensed Qui-Gon's acknowledgment. Tracing his path, he could see Qui-Gon's tall outline in the darkness. There was another being, this one almost as tall as his Padawan, with the shoulder width of maturity. This being didn't have the benefit of the backlight. He couldn't see Qui-Gon. It took two quick strikes, one to the abdomen and one to the back of the head before the being was out cold at Qui-Gon's feet.

Qui-Gon pulled the being into the cell they'd just vacated. He joined Dooku quickly, breathing more harshly than he should of for such a small altercation. Dooku stretched his senses over his Padawan and felt him relax.

"Sorry, Master. The fear here is a little overpowering. It feels as though it is being amplified."

Dooku cocked an eyebrow. That was unexpected. "Protect yourself Padawan, I will just have to be extra attentive. See what you can get from the vidscreens. I'll look for our lightsabers."

Qui-Gon rushed to screens, bemusedly poking at the keypad. Qui-Gon would always be better with the living than soulless mechanics. Again, it was something he'd have to learn. [/i]

[hr][/hr]

Antares came slowly to consciousness, her eyes blinking at the intense light above her. She tried to sit up, when memory caught up to her sleep-fogged mind, and felt the sudden jolt of the binders at each of her wrists. Wide eyed, her heart tripping in full panic, she tugged at her restraints. Around her, the room was as white and intense as the light. Cold and clinical.

In one corner sat a life comp, she looked at her wrist again and recognized a vital sign recorder. The steady beep was increasing as her panic rose. Was she in a medics ward? Had she been injured? Rescued? What had happened after the Count had knocked her unconscious? Outside the sound of her vitals, the silence was deafening, unnerving.

She jumped when the compression door slid open. Dooku came in, dressed in his familiar black tunic and pants with his elaborate brown cape fluttering behind him. He was a commanding presence, but Antares could now see past the courtly man and to the serpent that lay underneath. Behind him, stood a woman dressed in medic whites. She was a cold blooded Falleen her hair tied high on her head. That explained why it felt so warm in here.

"Please, do calm yourself, Lady San," Count Dooku said into the silence. "We would not want you to hurt yourself or other unduly."

"Where am I? Why have you kidnapped me?" Antares demanded.

Dooku stepped forward, but was stopped by a green hand. He narrowed his eyes at the temerity of such an action. "Do not get too close, my lord. We do not know how far the range has widened."

"Her fear cannot affect me," Dooku said. "I've learned how to use it."

"Range?" she questioned. "What are you talking about?"

The Count leveled his gaze at her. "It is strange that you do not know your own power, my dear. Have you ever heard of an empath?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "The ability to feel the emotions of those around you."

"Not nearly that simple. It is not just feeling the emotions. It is more than just that. They become your own. Those with the Force have a measure of that ability. You have more than an measure. It is more than that, my dear. You have the power to control those emotions, to turn what you will on others. It furthered your career as a dancer. Now it will help me save the Republic and the Jedi Order."

"I'm sorry, Count Dooku, I don't understand what your telling me. The Republic and the Jedi Order our fine. I assure you, I do not have any of these powers." She knew that she may be stretching the truth a little. Dooku himself was raising unrest among the Republic. Many systems were starting to think as Serenno did. That corruption had infected the Senate. Antares had never concerned herself with politics until her chosen planet had begun to be a key point. "That doesn't explain why you've kidnapped me? I'm not a threat."

"Well, my dear, I'm afraid that your ignorance of this power has made you weak. You only access it when you dance. I need more than that. I need more than you are willing to give."

Antares swallowed. Her fear spiking again, the beeping increasing until it sounded like one long signal. "What are you going to do to me?"

[hr][/hr]

[i]"Master," Qui-Gon said, feeling his heart drop into his stomach. "You need to take a look at this." He moved around the comp to see what Qui-Gon had pulled up. "They're not just slaves, Master. Someone has been running experiments. "

The two Jedi stood side by side as they watched a Falleen press a hypospray to the necks of the prisoners. It was hard to tell how many had been crammed into the room, laying prostrate, tied down to medical bunks, the footage didn't extend to the entire room. It was tight though. Qui-Gon estimated at least 20 different humanoids.

That was the fear that reached out to him and threatened to squeeze the life out of him. He could only imagine what these people had been through. It took only moments after they'd been drugged to see the effects. Some began to scream, others shoulders jerked, sobbing, while others, others just starred blank-eyed, breathing, heart-beating, but something was missing. [/i]

[hr][/hr]

Antares watched as the Falleen pressed the vile of serum into the hydropsray. Trembling, she watched, every sense hyper extended from adrenaline. She knew if she didn't calm down soon, she was likely to pass out from hyperventilation. Her first major debut she'd passed out. Her instructor had roused her with the most foul smelling concoction. To this day, she still didn't know what had been in it.

Forcing herself to breath slowly and evenly, she said, "What is that?" 

"An old psychotropic drug that was banned on all civilized worlds," the Falleen answered. "It accesses the parts of the brain that release hormone levels. Primarily, the section that deals with fear."

Antares scoffed. It was a watery sound, on the verge of tears. "I don't think you need to worry about that. I'm sufficiently afraid."

"Oh, but you're still in control, Lady San. I need to see what happens when you are not."

She nodded, fighting to keep breathing in and out. In and out. "If you're right. Doesn't that make me more dangerous? A threat to the Jedi and the Republic. It doesn't make sense."

"The Republic has been decaying for some time. It has struggled along, buoyed by the Force and the Jedi who foolishly sacrifice themselves to the cause. They pay in blood for an unforgiving and uncaring government. I will save them from themselves."

Antares wondered at this. It sounded personal. She knew that tone of voice. She wondered who he'd lost.

"Noble," I gave an hysterical laugh. "How am I going to help you?"

"You are going to bring them to the Dark Side."

[hr][/hr]

[I]Dooku watched his young apprentice. The longer he remained close to this terrible experiment the more pale he became. Dooku could feel the dark currents in the Force. It was taking most of his concentration to block out the negative energy. They both needed to leave as quickly as possible. But first...he needed to find their lightsabers.

He was loath to leave Qui-Gon alone. Yet, getting out of this place would much more difficult without their blades. He looked back at his apprentice, the pale light casting shadows on his angular face. "I'll be back soon. Keep aware. If need be, hide yourself away until I return."

Qui-Gon nodded. His eyes stuck on the viewscreens.

He headed back the way they'd come. Checking the areas that were not blocked by an energy hum. He could check the locked cells later, could rescue the lost souls.

A door popped open when he stepped before it. He slowly peeped in, his eyes scanning the area in a quick round, picking out all the details. He saw their lightsabers locked behind a weapons cabinet. He double checked that the room was empty. He stepped in cautiously. There was more here than was readily seen. He knew that much. So much these days was cast in shadow. Master Yoda kept hinting towards a coming darkness. Not yet here, but growing. Like bubbles surfacing before the krakana.

With a wave of his hand he opened the locked cabinet. He grabbed the two lightsabers and stuffed Qui-Gon's into his tunic. He was on his way back when he heard a cry. It was further down the corridor than the cell he and Qui-Gon had been held in. As he waved the door open, he found that this one had been more occupied. In horror, his blue gaze went from each face. The features were all frozen in a twisted mask of terror.

Dooku put a hand to his mouth, tried to shut his eyes to the macabre scene. The images blazes in his minds eye.

"Do you like my work?"

He spun to see the Falleen who had been on the vid recordings before, giving the prisoners their dosage. "What work is that?" he ground out between clench teeth.

"Fear. I've studied it a long time. The smell can be quite intoxicating. But you must know that."

Dooku shook his head. One time. He'd felt that call, the promise of the Dark Side. Yoda had saved him. He would not let this creature pretend like she knew him. "This isn't work. This is depraved butchery."

"No, you're right. Work makes it seem so monotonous, so hum drum. Work is something you have to do. But art...that is a labor of love."

"You are under arrest," Dooku said. He ignited his blade, part of his willing her to fight.

Instead, she smiled a knowing smile. "Do not worry, Jedi. I will come willingly. One day you will ask for my help."[/i]

[hr][/hr]

Antares could do nothing as the Falleen pressed the hypospray to her throat. She felt the injection, the liquid pressing through her skin, entering her blood stream. There was no escape. The skin around her wrists and ankles were raw, bleeding from her fruitless attempts. She watched the Falleen as she pulled away, a satisfied curve on her thin lips.

"Bring in the test subject," Dooku ordered. I am quite sure we want to be far away when the drug goes into affect."

The Falleen nodded and they disappeared behind the sweeping door only to be replaced by a young man, possible close to Antares age. He made her think of Endrex. Was he out looking for her? Could she be found when her own head of government was looking to test and torture her?

Then the nightmares descended.

The young man began to scream before she did. But soon they were in tandem. A chorus of a terrified heart. She longed to be unconscious now. With an effort she fought through the terrifying images, finding a little tiny place of solitude. Enough to allow her to think. She exhaled more than she inhaled and soon she welcomed the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Antares couldn't remember where she began and the others ended. There was just a long line of pain and fear. Some of the fears were hers, recalled from childhood. Her fear of heights. The one she'd struggled for months with to perform the first dance to have the players climb upside down to the stage. Of course, the climb had been from two hundred feet in the air. That was an old, familiar trouble. One that she could and had on numerous occasions pushed through. It was strange, having that fear change and thrown back at her.

Then there was others. Someone had a fear of drowning. The initial fear drug, Mordonine, she later learned, was mixed with glitterstim. The hallucinogenic made all the fears real, vivid. So many times, she would wake to the feeling of water filling her throat, coating her lungs. She would gasp and cough, trying to escape the drowning.

Another time, she would see a Trandoshan, a man she'd never met before and could not tell any his name. But she would see him killed...by blaster fire...by incineration by thermal detonator...by a lightsaber and she would weep uncontrollably for hours. Fear quickly turning to grief, despair.

The drugs turned her stomach and made it difficult to hold what little food she was given. And she wasn't the only one. The sickness, reverberated, rebounded on each of them. At the direst moment, she felt the death throes of one of her fellow captives. Her mind stretched and snapped as it believed it was dying only to live breath to breath.

For a long time there was darkness. Sweet utter black. And silence. That was the more satisfying. The quiet. No one elses' thoughts and feelings become alive in her own. She could rest for the first time in what had felt like a season.

Once again she woke to the white room. This time, a blanket had been draped over her. Her muscles were sore from trembling, from clenching in fear. But as she moved, they were not as painful as they'd been before. Her writs and ankles had been released from the bindings and bandaged. They no longer felt fevered from infection. The unexpected kindness brought tears to her eyes. She laughed at the fact that she could cry at all.

Tentatively, she swung her legs over the edge of the medical bed. The cool tile welcomed her thin feet. She stood for the first time and waited for this one luxury to be pulled away from her. Her legs wobbled like a newborn Saun colt. The simple action threatened to drain her fragile energy reserves but she continued to stand and to observe. It had been too long since she'd acted and thought for herself.

Antares, walked towards the wall with awkward steps. She, a dancer who'd been instructed since she could form sentences longer than two words, had trouble putting one foot in front of the other. It seemed unreal. A nightmare she could not shake in her waking hours. She took solace that at least it belonged to her and her alone.

Vaguely, she wondered what had happened to the others. Those she had shared her ordeal with. She'd felt one die. A brother or sister she had never known but was imbedded in her heart. Should she mourn? Her mind told her yes, but her heart yearned for another emotion, anything other than the dread of the last terrible days.

As she waited in the silence, it settled on hope. Perhaps the Republic had found her captors, that the Falleen and the Count would finally be held accountable for their crimes. She liked to think that even now they were being taken into custody and in a few minutes the door would swish open, this time inviting her freedom. She tried not to think of her own culpability. They'd used her. And a being was dead.

But she was being allowed to walk, to think, and to be alone. Antares by nature was a social person, almost needing to be in a group of others, dancing, collaborating, interacting. She never though she would appreciate being alone.

She reached the door and it swished open at her presence. She paused, half frightened, half exhausted. She hated for this to be a trick. A new form of torture. A promise of hope to be dashed away in mental and physical imprisonment.

On the precipice of decision, she took a timid step forward. She stood on the threshold now. The waiting place. Neither in her prison but not quite free of it either. It pressed upon her back, pushing and pulling. Another ungainly step forward and she was in a corridor. The building was unfamiliar. It almost had the utilitarian aspect of a warehouse, but there was a precision, a solemnity that didn't mark the lazy patience of a warehouse.

Her stomach made its abuse known and she yearned for nerf steak in muja sauce. Flatbread and Taccati fish. The continued quiet, though still very welcome, began to feel weighted. As though the hall had ears and was listening for her. She followed down the hall, using the wall as a crutch. Even this little walk was draining muscles that had atrophied from disuse.

This time another fear struck her heart. What if she could never dance? In her more lucid moments, she'd known that the galactic troupe had most definitely moved on. That her dream had passed away probably never to return. But the thought of never dancing again. That was a fate worse than death. She had to get away.

There were rooms down the hall, rooms like hers. But they were empty, abandoned. Cold light reaching out to her in translucent, bony fingers of ghosts long gone. She shuddered, the cold pervasive, soaking to her very marrow. She longed to be free, to once again feel the rays of the sun heat her face. She missed her brothers' smiles, the way her mother ran fingers through her hair, Endrex's arms around her, the rise and fall of a sweet melody. She had a feeling that she would never know them again.

The hope flickered and guttered like a storm ridden torch.

Antares began to believe she was the only one that remained. The others had died or possibly gone mad with the sensations of death. She'd been on the brink herself. She'd felt the madness, had seen it as a comfort and escape of its own. She wasn't sure what had saved her. Perhaps she was merely too valuable to give up to the prolonged testing. The others…the others were gone. If she could leave now then there wouldn't have to be anyone else hurt by this ability that was somehow going to save the galaxy.

She heard footsteps and paused, her breath coming in and out in tiny gasps that sounded too loudly in her ears. In a hurried panic, I glanced around the corridor and dodged into one of the rooms. The soft hiss of the door opening and closing the only mark of her departure. She dropped below the view window. Pressing her back to the door, careful not to shift her weight and signal it open. She closed her eyes, cocking her head to the side and willing her ears to hear every potential threat. She almost scoffed at her own foolishness. Dooku had been a Jedi. Didn't they have some powers of omniscience? How long could she really hide if he was hunting her?

She waited with baited breath, she could imagine the vibration of the footsteps as they came and went passed her.

"It won't be long before the droids will be here," a gruff voice said. "We've begun unloading the weapons in sector twelve."

Weapons? Droids?

Antares eyes flickered around the sterile room. What was this place? And what did it have to do with her? Unless Dooku wished to destroy an entire galaxy or else drive it to madness. Tears pricked her eyes. She let them fall silently. What had once been her greatest gift had been turned to such ugliness and darkness. Maybe it would have been better to give in to death. She didn't want to be a tool of destruction.

The hope was wearing thin the longer she walked the halls, the more labyrinth her prison became. She wasn't even sure if she was on Serenno or some other land holding of the Count's.

It was a while before she felt safe enough to continue roaming the halls. She found shipping containers and wondered if she had moved into sector 12. She touched a one of the shipping crates, wondered if she were strong enough to pry it open. She'd never held a blaster before, though she knew her father had carried one once they'd left Alderaan.

For several minutes, she pressed the keypad glyphs, hoping to stumble across the right access code. A red light flashed after eight keys, so it had to at least be eight digits. Nine keys, eight digits, she would be here forever.

She put a shaking hand to her forehead. Everything was too hot and sticky. Was she on a jungle planet? She'd spent a season with a troupe in Car Sean that had the most dripping atmosphere. She felt as though she were constantly drowning on water. The thought brought back another unpleasant memory. Drowning. A fear she'd never had until now.

Without thinking, she coughed, as though she were once again emerged in a tank she could not escape. She shook her head. With an effort she focused her eyes back on the key pad. Her mind had lost its precision focus, it wondered too easily, distracted by too many dark memories. Endrex's company had dealt in shipping. Why had she not paid more attention?

Vaguely, she recalled him mentioning something about wiping shipping crates to reset the locking mechanism. But if he'd explained, she had not fully understood and had tuned it out. She looked around. Shipping crates were made durable, but were notorious for overuse. She could carry one of the smaller ones, climb somewhere high and push it over the edge. If she was lucky, she'd have a blaster or a least something that could be used to distract everyone. She could slip out the front door, once she found it.

It was the first steps towards hope and that climb was always the hardest.

sSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 _Larego had shown her the choreography and she had nearly lost her lunch. She was still on the stage, looking at the intricate netting, rising high into the air. Antares swallowed the lump in her throat. She started the basic movements on the stage, getting down on hands and toes. It was a dance from Archano that had been adapted and adopted by millions of worlds. The Leg Dance. She'd seen it performed by humans before but eventually it was criticized as lacking the articulation and fluidity of the original. Archanoans had eight appendages, each with series of segmented joints that were not limited to the single mechanics of a human._

 _She paused, trying to figure how a human body could flip from the crouched position she was currently on and land with her face and belly to the ceiling. She tried it once, throwing her weight on her right hand and foot and pushing away with her left. As she arched over in the air she changed the direction of her right hand, twisting it so that her palm was flat against the floor. Landing her left, she did the same, her midsection bowing outward to the ceiling._

 _With a huff, she dropped to the ground. She didn't need to see the recording to know that the maneuver hadn't looked beautiful or effortless. Nor had it evoked the stealthy silence of the Archanoans. Her green eyes darted to the netting again. Despite her deep fear, she could see how it would be easier to make such a movement in the air._

" _Why are you lying on the floor?" Endrex asked with a laugh. His steps echoed through the empty stage. "You're supposed to be in the air."_

" _Why don't you do it?" she snapped. It was unfair, they'd only known each other for less than a season; he couldn't possibly understand how much this filled her with dread._

 _Endrex's smirk faded away. He held his hand up in surrender. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" His blue eyes flickered to the mesh above. "Did you fall?" He rushed forward, kneeling by her side._

 _She put a hand to his cheek. "No, I didn't fall. I would have to actually make the climb to fall. And…I'm terrified."_

" _Afraid of heights? Good to know. I won't be taking you to the Cliffs of Keskeedan any time soon."_

 _She sat up, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on the tops of her knees. "Maybe you should. One quick scare. I don't know how I'm going to do this. Just the thought of it makes me freeze."_

 _Abruptly, he leaped to his feet and offered her a hand. She eyed his hand wearily. He had that mischevious glint in his eye that always promised and adventure. It was one of the reasons she was becoming enamored with him. She'd held herself to such an exact standard, that Endrex's easy-going mischief made her feel alive, happy and free. "What are you doing?"_

" _Come on. I may not have your grace, lovey, but I have had plenty of climbing experience. I'll be with you every step of the way. Everything is easier when faced together."_

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Antares was alone now, the painstaking climb only endured for the promise of what lay curled in at her side. The shipping loader was an ancient piece of machinery, used to load the heavier crates and equipment that had come into what Antares now thought of as the compound. She'd rigged a makeshift satchel out of cello tape and had affixed the smaller shipping crate to her side. But it was not an easy climb.

It was basically one lever balanced by a column built into the compounds receiving bay. The column did not have a lot of hand holds and her muscles had already taken more than a beating. But determination and adrenalin can do much and she was adept at using both. She was half way up when her palms began to cramp. Her legs trembled with the effort, her toes digging into the centimeters high grove.

She looked behind her. If she fell from this height, she would not survive. She had a choice to make. Try to go forward and hopefully make it to the top or head back down before she lost her grip and her life. Antares had not reached her goals in life by backing down when things became difficult. She pulled herself up to the next groove.

Sweat stung her eyes, made her slim purchase on the column even more precarious. If only she'd had the chalk she used before she danced, keeping the grime of the dance from her. The top was in sight, she could see it, a couple meters ahead. It wouldn't take much at all. But her body didn't have much to give.

A strained sob echoed through the bay as she struggled to keep her hold. Her muscles, her body, her trusted friend, gave out and she fell. Wildly, she reached for the column, felt the promises of bruises as she fell to face to get a grip on it again. She was going to die and it wasn't the terrible thing she'd thought it would be. It was a different type of escape, one that would end this pain and misery. An escape that would save others from the madness and death. An escape that would end whatever Count Dooku was planning.

But the unruly plummet began to slow, the high pitched whistle of wind running past her ear dimming to a dull whisper. When she hit the ground it was as though an unseen, clumsy dance partner had dropped her during a routine.

"It would seem she did not fall the madness as you had feared, Master," a sultry alto voice said. Antares didn't recognize it. Her face was pale and white, her head hairless. There were tattooed markings on her forehead, eyes and mouth. She seemed more alien then the Archano that Antares had been thinking about, though she was clearly humanoid.

"She has shown surprising resilience," Dooku agreed. "Tell Cethlos that I wish to proceed with experiments."

Shaking her head, tears streaming freely from her eyes, Antares was not above begging. "Please, my lord, no. I cannot…more will die…I'm not sure if…," her pleadings turned quickly to groans and screams as the pale woman grabbed her by an arm and hefted her to her feet. A gesture brought a droid supporting Antares other side.

"Please," she moaned. "Please."

At that moment, she felt that brief light of hope extinguish. Dooku touched her cheek, his calloused hands matching the emptiness in his face. "Lady San now you know the true nature of the Dark Side. You are almost ready."

She screamed as they dragged her away, continued to scream as they left her alone once again in that cell. The cuffs, familiar and cold, slapped her back into place. She longed for the oblivion of unconsciousness but even in that she was shown no kindness.


End file.
